The Central African Republic (French: République centrafricaine), abbreviated CAR, is a country in Central Africa. It has experienced a revolution in 2012, in which the president was overthrown and replaced by a rebel leader. The country was notably reformed, and was under martial law throughout 2013. By 2017, the Central African Republic was strong allies of it's newly formed neighbor to the south, the United Republic of the Congo (URC).

CAR is one of the poorest nations in Africa (only above Somalia and a few others), with a GDP of $6.8 billion. It has a population of 8 million as of 2017. CAR receives much assistance from the URC, which are considered to have a "special relationship" (such as US and UK or Russia and China). The URC gives the CAR money and CAR military officers are sent to Kinshasa, the capitol of the URC, for more advanced training.

Table of Contents

History

Civil war

In late 2012, a rebellion in the north of the country was formed. The CAR Armed Forces, which were in a very poor state at the time. The rebels were dissatisfied with the Bangui government, and took over much of the north, with the intention of taking the rest of the country. The rebellion was led by Michel Djotodia, an influential former army commander. Many villagers welcomed them, since they cared more for the people than the government. The rebels took the provisional capital of the Vakaga prefecture, the city of Birao. The government finally responded.

In September 2012, as government forces prepared for an offensive, the rebels overran the nearby three prefectures under Vakaga. The prefecture had large oil reserves, so the government was even more desperate to retake it, as it was one of their only sources of income at the time. Rebel forces continued advancing south, meeting little resistance.